Armenia: Private Parking Plan Prompts Charges of Corruption

Still recovering from the political fallout of a recent bus boycott, Yerevan’s city government is now grappling with growing public anger over allegations that a privately run parking system is serving the business interests of a close associate of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

Transportation in this capital city of 1.1 million people already has proven a tricky topic for the municipal government, which is controlled by Armenia’s ruling Republican Party of Armenia. In July, a boycott of public buses and protests over increased fares forced the city to back down from a price hike. Many residents saw the higher fares as benefiting members of the political elite who are alleged to run bus companies.

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Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.